


Devotion

by unowenowl



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bumbleby wedding through FairGame eyes, Don't Post To Another Site, F/F, FairGame POV, Fluff, I don't know what I'm doing I just wanted to get this out of my system, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possible Additional Ships, and hopefully some comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 02:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22424365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unowenowl/pseuds/unowenowl
Summary: Two months after the war ends, Yang and Blake decide to get married.When they were young, Qrow hadn't dared hope that he'd be lucky enough to catch the day when either one of his nieces gets married, much less that he'd be an active participant in it, or that his life would turn out the way it did, when he can genuinely say that he's happier than he'd been in long time.Most of Clover's life had been about Atlas and military, being the best, doing the best he can to protect the people of Mantle. Now that he doesn't have to do any of those anymore, he has to figure out how to just be. Luckily for him, it's easier with Qrow around."They haven't really done this before. There hasn't really been time, not with the war, Salem, and fighting for survival. And afterward, there was patching up to do and discovering together who they were outside of a war, outside of military and outside of being someone else's pawn. They've rather shown it through their actions rather than words.Qrow feels bolder today.Must be the big day getting to him."
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 17
Kudos: 99





	1. feels good to be alone with you

**Author's Note:**

> In this house we say FUCK CANON BABES!!!
> 
> Yes so what's on here it's simply something that I wanted to read, and surprisingly, something that I've managed to write. It has little connection to canon. They listen to the radio at some point. I don't even know if they have radio in Remnant and I don't care. Pyrrha will feature one way or another. Also this is mostly fluff, the only plot is that Blake and Yang get married and everyone is gorgeous.
> 
> Each chapter is from the perspective of either Qrow or Clover.

_it is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world_

_\- "invitation" mary oliver_

Consciousness pulls at him softly. 

The clock on the wall he's facing is telling him that it's only 6 am. There's still enough time.

He takes a deep breath. It's been a long time since he's woken up gently, without the nagging thought that _he's still alive and isn't it such a shame_?

He's acutely aware of the weight on his midriff, of the warmth at his back, of the palm pressing against his chest. Against his heartbeat.

No, it's not a shame at all that he's alive. _It feels like a miracle._

He gently pulls at Clover's hand, raising it enough that he can turn around to face the sleeping man. He's smiling before he can be aware of it, before he can even think of controlling it, of not showing it. And then he doesn't realize he doesn't have to hide it, not with Clover. He's safe. Well, old thinking habits die hard.

His eyes trace Clover's sleeping face slowly, trying to memorize every detail. His closed eyes, his eyebrows, his forehead and cheekbones and chin and lips. He resists the urge to kiss him, he doesn't want to wake him up.  
  
He focuses instead on his ears, on his hair. On the weight of his arm, grounding him. On the sound of his breathing.  
" 'Morning, beautiful," he hears a whisper and looks up at Clover's eyes again. They're betraying sleepiness and an unfair amount of affection. Qrow feels as if he might burst from the amount and intensity of feelings that suddenly surge up.

"Good morning," he replies. He'd like to say something cheesy, or a compliment, too; he knows that Clover will be pleasantly surprised and that his eyes will crinkle at the corners if he does. However, his mouth refuses to cooperate, the words remain stuck in his brain. So he settles for practicality.

"You can back to sleep, there's still time until we need to be awake."  
Clover murmurs in agreement, pulling Qrow even closer, one of his legs settling comfortably between his. Qrow feels Clover's fingers tracing lazy patterns in his hair.  
"What time is it?"

Qrow is lost for a moment, as he realizes there's no other clock other than the one behind him and the alarm clock behind Clover.  
"I don't know," he says honestly. "It was 6 a.m. when I woke up but I don't know how much time passed since then."  
Clover chuckles. "Then how do you know 'there's still time 'till we need to be awake'? You could have been staring at me for hours for all we know," he teases, raising his head just enough to look at the clock on the wall, "It's 6:15."

"I was not staring," Qrow replies grumpily. "And if we'd needed to be awake, I can assure you that either Ruby or Weiss would have come banging on my door to wake up and get ready," he says, matter-of-factly. Not that he'd let it get to that point; he wouldn't disappoint them again.

Clover hums again, still smiling, coming close enough that his lips touch Qrow's nose. He closes his eyes, and Qrow does the same, letting himself focus on the pleasant feeling of Clover playing with his hair. He's almost asleep when he hears Clover ask in a whisper, "Breakfast?"  
He nods. "In five minutes," he grumbles, moving his head so that it rests on the crook of Clover's neck. He feels the amused puff of air that his answer warrants against his earlobe.

Qrow embraces him, holding onto him as if he is his lifeline.

He's gotten better at expressing is own emotions ever since he's started therapy, but it's still not easy. He tries to focus on the instructions he's learned, to quieten the little voices inside his head that constantly say that he'll fuck this up somehow. He focuses on his own breathing, trying to figure out what exactly it is he wants to say.

_Breathe in, breathe out._

"Qrow?" he hears Clover ask, with barely disguised concern.

"Yes?" he replies, his voice muffled.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes."

He raises his head, looking directly in Clover's eyes.

"You're important."

His eyes widen a bit, betraying the surprise he feels at hearing the confession, but Clover doesn't hesitate one second to respond,

"You're important, too."

Qrow bites on his tongue, fighting the habit of retorting to anything positive said about him.

"What prompted this, though?" Clover asks softly, looking at Qrow with more compassion that he feels he deserves.

He tries to look him in the eyes while giving his reasoning, but in the end he's too much of a coward, and chooses to stare at some spot above Clover's head.

"Nothing. I was just thinking earlier that... 6 months ago I couldn't have imagined myself having this."

"This?"

Qrow shifts his position, his body atop his boyfriend's, the sheets moving with them. He intertwines his fingers, looking at the callouses gained from all his years as a Huntsman. Clover's hands find Qrow's arms and begin tracing patterns patiently. The tingling sensation it elicits is surprisingly grounding.

"You know. Sobriety, stability, the rest of my family with me, being alive...," he looks down, "be with someone that I love."

Clover sucks in a short breath.

They haven't really done this before. There hasn't really been time, not with the war, Salem, and fighting for survival. And afterward, there was patching up to do and discovering together who they were outside of a war, outside of military and outside of being someone else's pawn. They've rather shown it through their actions rather than words.

Qrow feels bolder today.  
Must be the big day getting to him.

"I love you, too," Clover says, looking earnest. "A lot."

Qrow nods. He wants to do this, but he also wishes it was easier.

"It took me a long time to accept that..." he takes a deep breath, "not all bad things that happen around me are my fault." He sees his partner frown, but he doesn't interrupt him. Qrow knows he'd rather say almost none of the bad things that happen to him are his fault, but that feels like too much. "Sometimes it's still hard to accept, it's hard to know what my semblance influences or if I've controlled it well. I'm trying. The point is," he pauses for a second, "this would have been a lot more difficult without you around to support me. I'm not sure I would have gotten to this point."

"You would have," Clover says fiercely, the look in his eyes intense. Qrow's heart leaps. He shouldn't find that as cute as he does, "You would have, regardless if I were there or not, because you are... a strong person, you're resilient and you deserve to be happy," Qrow doesn't fight him on this. Even though he is pretty sure that nobody else could have convinced him as easily to start therapy and stick with it.

"But," Clover continues, "I am happy to be a part of your life."

They lay like that for a few moments, just looking at each other, savouring each other's company, savouring the fact that they're alive and in each other's arms. There's a lot more that Qrow would like to tell Clover, but he's not sure neither his mind nor heart could bear it.

So he opts to lean down and kiss him. He was always much better at actions.  
He breaks the kiss, leaning down even further into his space. Suggestions of what they could do with the remaning time sit on the tip of his tongue. He can feel Clover shivering in anticipation as Qrow caresses his earlobe with his nose. 

The alarm clock besides them blares, alerting them that it's 6:45.

Qrow groans. Clover chuckles.

"Come on, let's go make breakfast, before you're going to be swiped away in duties for your niece's wedding."  
Clover gives him a peck on the lips before pushing him lightly. Qrow moves away lightly, but not happily. He fights the urge to touch him. Just because he's confessed doesn't mean he can get to be clingy now.

But before that train of thought can get any farther, Clover takes his hand and intertwines their fingers.

Qrow doesn't even try to fight the smile that blossoms on his face.

Breakfast is a quiet thing, with only the radio in the background, playing softly a song he doesn't recognize, nor does he care to. They stand next to each other, Clover making pancakes and Qrow watching him, arms crossed. There's barely any distance between them, and when Clover shifts to turn a pancake, their arms brush. Qrow doesn't move. When the pancakes are done, they sit next to each other at the breakfast table.

They don't bother with multiple plates, instead opting to share from the one with the pancakes. Their forks almost intersect sometimes, but they just smile and go on. Their legs brush playfully under the table, trying to appear coy.

Qrow cannot believe he's been reduced to a love-struck teenager. Yang was correct when she'd professed dramatically 'Life be like that sometimes.'

At some point, Clover stops eating and just...stares at him. Openly. Blatantly. Qrow feels like he might explode.

"Why are you staring?"

"You're handsome," Clover says. Qrow doesn't think he'll ever get used to how he can be just so open and say these things so casually. "Also you're cute when you get flustered."

Qrow disregards the plate of food, choosing instead to stare right back at Clover, "Challenge on." Except it's not really a challenge, but Qrow's determined to push back a little.

Clover just smiles a little, brushing his lips with the tip of his thumb, but makes no other comment.

Qrow is tracing his partner's features with his eyes again, wishing he could do so with his lips, when Clover speaks up.  
"You're beautiful."

Qrow's brain is still lagging a bit.  
"You're handsome."

"You're resilient."

"You're good in a crisis."

"You're smart."

"So are you."

"Ah-a, that doesn't count."

"Why?"

"You must say a compliment, Qrow. Otherwise it would be just too easy to say 'Same to you' to everything I say."

"Fine. You're capable."

"You have a good heart."

"You're...tall."  
Damn, he still can't get used to being told he's a good person.

Clover laughs, " 'You're tall'? How is that a compliment?"

"I like tall people."

Clover shakes his head fondly, before leaning down to kiss him slowly. Qrow titls his head to his left, allowing the kiss to deepen. He feels the pads of Clover's fingers on his neck, carressing him softly.  
He doesn't want the moment to stop.

Clover pulls away sooner than he'd like. He rests his forehead on his, before swallowing.  
"I'd love to do more, but I wouldn't want us to be interrupted," he says with a sheepish smile.

As if waiting for his cue, three sharp knocks announce them of a visitor. Qrow rolls his eyes. Probably a Schnee. He doesn't know anyone else who would be so precise about something so pointless.

His suspcions turn out to be correct. Winter Schnee is standing in front of his door. Despite the fact she's dressed casually, she looks every bit the military Atlasian, with her poised stature and her hands behind her back.

"My sister is waiting for you," she says matter-of-factly.

"Good morning to you too," he grumbles, "Come in. I'll get changed and then come."

She nods and comes inside. Qrow almost can't believe that Winter Schnee would do something as banal as come down personally to escort him to her younger sister. But he suspects that all of them are craving for some sense of normalcy and banality, after all the fighting, lies and misery they've been through.

He hears Clover starting up a conversation with Winter as Qrow leaves to get changed.

He suspects they've been talking about him, because when he returns, the conversation ends abruptly.

"Well, it's been nice to talk to you, Clover," Winter says pleasantly, as she steps aside, near the door. "Come, Branwen."

"Likewise, Winter," Clover says, getting closer to Qrow, "Take care, see you later," he says to him, a bit more quietly, putting his hand on the small of his back.

Qrow kisses him soundly. Partly, to annoy Winter, partly because he can.  
"Will do, you too."

Winter is regarding him carefully as he closes the door to the apartment.  
"What." he raises an eyebrow at her.  
"It suits you better than drunkennes ever did," she says.  
"What, Clover?" he smirks.  
"Happiness," she says simply.

For once, he agrees.

They walk in companionable silence until Winter's scroll rings with a call from Weiss.


	2. he's good and he's bad and he's all that i've got

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clover buys coffee and contemplates the state of the world.
> 
> And maybe thinks a little too much about Qrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight mention of Faunus discrimination but it's off-screen and also quickly dealt with.

After he puts the pancakes in the fridge and cleans up the kitchen, Clover finds himself at a bit of a loss. 

Today is the first time they spend it away from each other...in a while, he thinks with no small amount of surprise. Of course that during the war they had to be apart for days, weeks even. They had to gather intelligence against Salem and build their defenses. Back then they had bigger worries than the fact they were apart from each other. They wanted to survive to catch a tomorrow with each other. But once it was over, they easily slotted each other in their lives, like two puzzle pieces, meant to be like that.

He can do this, he tells himself, exhaling heavily. He can spend a day away from Qrow, he's not some desperate puppy.

On the kitchen table, his scroll buzzes with a notification for a new message. It's from Qrow. 

_'Bored out of my mind.'_

Clover smiles. _'It's not been even 10 minutes since you left.'_

_'Exactly. And I'm already bored. If it weren't for Yang...'_

_'I'm here. You can text me anytime.'_

_'Ok. Have to go. But Weiss told me you're coming to suit fitting too. Stay in touch."_

_"Sure. Take care."_

_"You too."_

Well, it looks like he will get to see Qrow soon, after all. He takes a deep breath, trying to figure out what he's going to do in the meantime.

Well, he's never been the kind of man who likes to sit and wait.

He'll shower, change and go to the gym if no better option presents itself.

Patch is a beautiful island. It's not as impressive as Atlas nor Mantle, but Clover thinks it has its own charm. It's quiet, it's simple. There's more nature and green than he's seen his whole life. The leaves on the trees rustle in the wind. A crow's call attracts his attention, from a branch.

He takes out his scroll and takes a picture. He sends it to Qrow.  
In less than 2 minutes, he receives a response that makes him chuckle: _'Not me.'_

In this peace, it's easy to pretend that they haven't been fighting a war, haven't been forced to deal with the losses and traumas it carries. He smiles bitterly into the cold air. He knows the truth and he can't deny it, no matter how much he'd like to. It never really served him any purpose. He thinks of his colleagues from Ace Ops, how they're not around, and promptly shuts that thought down. He can't deal with it yet.

He takes a deep breath, focusing on the building in front of him. He's been inside a few times, the first time with Qrow, when he'd tried to convince him to join. To give him credit, Qrow had tried, but he gave up rather quickly in favour of ogling Clover (And that, well, made him put just a bit more focus into his routine. If he had an audience, he might as well deliver).   
The gym seems almost empty, aside from the bored clerk and someone running on the treadmill.

"Clover?"  
He turns his head around. Taiyang is standing in the middle of the sidewalk. The confused expression on his face turns into a smile.

"Ah, I wasn't sure if it's you. How are you? What are you doing here?"  
"Qrow is gone to help with the wedding, so I've mostly been trying to..." 'distract myself' "..find an occupation. And I thought gym might be a good option." It's certainly familiar in a way, an echo of the training he used to do in Atlas. "What about you? I thought everyone in the immediate family was involved in the wedding. Plus Winter."

  
Not that there is a lot of immediate family to be involved. From what he knows, Blake's parents came to Patch too, but he hadn't met them. He couldn't begin to guess where they might be staying. Patch was pretty small, but he has the feeling he'd seen a motel somewhere around here. And he's still not sure why Winter is here, either, but he can attest to her organizational skills.

Taiyang looks away as he scratches at his neck. 'So it's a family trait...', Clover thinks with some amusement.  
"Yes, the situation became a bit tense, as we reviewed the plans, so I offered to go buy some coffee to get away from it."

Clover smiles. He'd already liked the guy ever since he'd met him, appreciating his laidback nature, but now he does even more. Honesty is always appreciated in his books.

"What happened?"  
"Well, you know how weddings are," He doesn't, actually. "There's always something or else unexpected that happens," he sighs deeply before continuing. "The venue that they'd originally booked for the wedding can't do it anymore. They claim it's because it had already been booked and they didn't notice that when Weiss made the reservation. But we're all thinking it's a stupid excuse, and they actually don't want to hold it because Blake is a Faunus. They canceled after Weiss started the discussion on how they might incorporate decorations from Faunus culture," he finishes, shaking his head.

Clover frowns. He had no idea things like these still happened around the world. He gets a whiplash reminder that just because the war with Salem is over, it doesn't mean that all the other problems humanity had were fixed. Far beyond that.

"That's terrible of them," he says. "What are you guys going to do?"  
"Well, the girls are doing all they can to support Blake and her parents right now. I'm buying some coffee so everyone can be a bit more fresh, hopefully. I'm pretty sure Weiss and Winter are going to sue the business for discrimination so hard that it'll soon stop existing," Taiyang smiles a bit, but it doesn't really reach his eyes. "Anyways, we'll have to go to Vale sooner than we had planned so we can look for a new venue. And then we'll go buy the clothes for the big event. I'm afraid we don't have that many options here in Patch."

"I understand. Can I help you with the coffee? You seem to need to carry quite a few cups, if the meeting holds so many people."

"Ah, I wouldn't want to interrupt your plans."

"Trust me, they were not so urgent." Now that he's got company, he doesn't like the idea of going into an empty gym and have to deal with all his thoughts by himself. And he won't lie that he'd like the idea of seeing Qrow again sooner rather than later.

Taiyang smiles brightly at him, "Alright then, let's go!"

Their walk to the coffee shop is relatively short, but they keep a sedate pace. They talk for a bit; they discover they share passion for an old tv-show that's no longer running. They end up sharing memories of adventures from their respective Academias. Clover is eager to hear everything that Taiyang is willing to share about Qrow. He suspects that the other man is well aware. Clover is pretty sure that Qrow wouldn't tell him about the time when he was tricked into wearing a skirt.

"...and he did it!" Taiyang says, with great humour, "He said afterward that he knew it was a skirt too, didn't mind showing his legs off."

Clover laughs. Boy, is he glad he befriended Taiyang. He'll definitely tease Qrow about it...just a bit. He hopes he can convince him to wear another one again.

The other man opens the door, politely gesturing for Clover to enter first. Clover nods thankfully, stepping inside and looking at his surroundings. The coffee shop has got the cozy vibe, all warm colours and soft-looking chairs. The menus are up on the wall.

"Do you want anything?" Taiyang asks, pulling a short piece of paper out of his pocket. "I must warn you, they've got the best coffee." He mutters something under his breath as he looks at the list, before speaking up. "I got lucky that you offered to help me. It wouldn't have been easy to return with so many cups of coffee." " 

"Well, hard to pass with such a glowing review," Clover says, smiling a little. "And luck is my specialty."  
Taiyang laughs at that. Good to know he can still amuse someone with his jokes about luck. Qrow's gotten much too used to them.

The girl behind the counter, who was serving a coffee to another client, perks up when she notices them. She's a fox Faunus, and her ears twitch up slightly in what Clover can only hope to be joy.  
"Professor Xiao-Long! It's been quite a while since I've seen you, I hope you've been well."

Taiyang offers the girl a gentle smile, "Hello, Kira, it's good to see you again. Thank you for asking, I've been as well as one can be in these circumstances," Nobody asks which circumstances. The news have long travelled and died down that his daughters were responsible for saving the world. "Actually, my oldest daughter, you know Yang, is getting married soon so in fact we are all in happy circumstances."

The other girl seems to swallow a squeal of joy. She radiates it, in any case.  
"Is that so? Oh, that's absolutely marvelous! Please send her my congratulations! I wish her only happiness. May I ask to whom she's getting married, if it's not too forward?"

"Of course. To her partner, Blake. They've known each other since Beacon Academy."  
This time, Kira does squeal a little, covering her mouth with her hands. Clover is truly endeared by such a positive reaction, even if, for all he can tell, Kira has never met Yang.  
"Oh, wonderful!" she says after a few seconds, smiling brightly. "Tell you what, Professor Xiao-Long? You've come to get coffee, right? Please allow me to offer their coffee on the house. Please, I know it's not that much, but I wish to offer some form congratulations for the both of them."

Taiyang seems surprised, but he nods. Then he pulls out the list. "Well it's in my favour indeed, because I have to buy nine cups of coffee." Kira whistles shortly in surprise, "Well, let's get them ready then! What's your first order?"

Clover smiles slightly at the interaction. He is always amazed when he meets so much kindness and positivity in the world, like the younger girl's. He wonders if it's just another manifestation of his semblance, that he meets it so much or if it's just...people's nature.

Even when things seem broken, bleak or hopeless, you can find little pockets of joy to carry you through the day, from a cup of good coffee to the joy one has when hears of the happiness of another person...small things that help you go on.

He gets out of his reverie when he realizes that Taiyang turned back to face him.  
"Clover, would you like anything?"  
"Oh yes. Uh..." He's been so caught up in his thoughts that he forgot to look over the menu properly, "I'd like a latte, please, no sugar." he tells Kira with a smile. She nods, returning the smile.

Taiyang curses under his breath, staring at the list.  
"What happened?" Clover asks, turning back towards Taiyang with a tad more force and concern than necessary. He relaxes when he sees there's no danger in sight.  
"I mixed up Qrow's order. I didn't pay attention, and actually ordered Ruby's twice. That girl drinks her coffee with four spoons of sugar and cream."  
Clover winces. Yea, Qrow wouldn't like that.

"It's okay," he reassures the other man, "I'll take his order."  
Taiyang sighs, "I wish I had paid more attention."  
"Hey," he respons gently. "It's alright, it's just a mistake. It happens. And I don't mind doing it anyway." There's something oddly pleasant about it, actually, bringing Qrow his coffee, but he foregoes from mentioning that.

"Here you go, sir!" Kira says energetically, putting his cup in front of him. "Would there be anything else?"  
"Ah, yes, please, a double espresso with one teaspoon of sugar."  
"Right up, sir!"

He can sense Taiyang staring intently at him. He tries not to fidget. He's not sure what he's done to warrant a stare, but he thinks he might find out soon anyway. He notices the two trays with the cups of coffee on them and takes one of them. Taiyang takes the other shortly after.

Soon, Qrow's order is done and they're ready to go.  
"Thank you for everything, Kira," Taiyang says.  
"No problem!" she answers. "And oh, sir..."  
He turns towards her but she's averting his eyes now. "Could you please say hello to Professor Branwen from me?"

Clover snorts in amusement. Of course. Qrow told him about his years as a teacher, but he emphasized that he hadn't been liked very much, and that he thinks the students didn't like him very much either, possibly due to his gloomy attitude. He's not at all surprised to discover that that wasn't at all the case.

Taiyang looks a bit surprised, but he replies smoothly enough. "Of course, Kira. I wish you a good day."  
"Have a good day, sirs!"  
Clover echoes the wish before stepping out.  
The air that hits him is slightly colder than it'd been in the coffeeshop so he closes his jacket.

They walk for a few minutes in complete silence, before Taiyang finally speaks up.  
"You really like him, don't you?" he asks, looking contemplative.  
Clover turns his head towards him, but choosing to show no emotion. He's obviously talking about Qrow, but he's not sure what exactly warranted that comment.  
"It's just," Taiyang says, staring at the road ahead him, "You memorized his coffee order, and you were so excited to hear about his adventures at the Beacon Academy, " Alright, so he hadn't been at all subtle. Clover chuckles. 

"And it's in the little things, you know? Love, I mean," he draws a deep sigh. Clover remembers suddenly what Qrow had told him about him at first, that he'd loved both Raven and Summer and he'd lost both.  
Clover puts his hand on Taiyang's shoulder, hopes it's comforting.  
"It's in the big gestures, too, and in communicating with your partner, and having trust in them. But there's also so much love in the things that nobody looks too closely at."

Clover smiles affectionately, looking down at the road as he's walking. He agrees with Taiyang.   
"I do," he replies. His voice is a little rough with emotion. He coughs a bit to get it to the usual tone. "I really do."

He's not sure what he's answering to, the original question or the following up, but it doesn't matter. He remembers their conversation from earlier in this morning. He remembers waking up to red eyes looking gently over him as if he was the answer. He remembers the feel of Qrow in his arms, soft and pliable, his weight a comfort. He remembers how he looked in the morning light as he told him that he was important. The cast eyes, the vulnerability that he was displaying. The quiet confession in the morning. It had made Clover's chest open wide and bleed right along with him, wanting to meet him in the middle. He'd replied to the confession in the same manner, but the words didn't feel enough to express the joys and the aching, the intensity that was there. So he'd held onto him and he'd kissed him and he'd hoped that at least part of it was transmitted.

He'd spent the rest of of his life just to love him in all the ways he could and it would be a life well spent.

He's forced out of his thoughts as two arms embrace him. The embrace is not particularly strong, because they've got coffee they need to deliver, but it sends the message well enough.

" I haven't seen Qrow so happy and at ease since...well, to be fair, I don't think I've seen him this particular kind of happy and at ease, ever."

He just nods in response. There's nothing he could really say to that, other that he's grateful that he's been let in Qrow's life. He's seen part of Qrow's demons, the darkness that pulls him down and away, and he knows that it wasn't an exaggeration when he'd told him that he's got more demons than most. But he's also been fighting them for so long and so well; and he's also accepted help. Clover is prouder than words can describe.

The mood of the conversation changes abruptly as Taiyang smiles mischeviously.  
"Hey, I've got a great idea."

  
The drive to Taiyang's house is silent. His eyes find Qrow immediately as he comes inside the house, being only vaguely aware of everyone else around, who start cheering for their return with coffee. He's standing in the living room with a hand on his hip and the other pinching his nose in frustration. He looks up after a few seconds, mouth open likely with a retort on his lips. Clover's heart stutters as he watches his expression change, go from annoyance to confusion, to joy.

He comes closer, looks him over, shakes his head fondly.  
"What are you doing here?"  
"Well I've come to help Taiyang with the delivery of coffee."  
"In gym clothes?" he can't keep mirth out of his voice.  
"Well, you see, I had plans to go to the gym when we met on the street."  
"And then you just decided to change the plan like that? I've never known you to be so impulsive."  
"Maybe the opportunity to see you was to good to pass."

"Flirt later, give me coffee," a voice interjects suddenly. Weiss appears in his ray of vision and takes one of the coffees that were on the tray, attention focused mostly on her scroll. So Bluntness runs in the Schnee family, after all. But Weiss is right, he should probably give them out before they got cold.  
"Be back soon," he whispers, winking at Qrow. He just rolls his eyes.

He looks at the coffees in his hand, then at the people around the room, trying to see to whom he ought to offer the beverages. They're all spread around the living room, sitting on couches, except for the Schnees sisters. Taiyang is offering coffee to Winter, who's standing besides Weiss, who's scribbling furiously in an agenda, while talking on her scroll to somebody.

Blake and Yang are sitting on the sofa in front of the TV, talking in hushed tones, one hand holding each other's, while holding their coffees with the other. A little further away, two people that look a lot like Blake are holding each other, looking at the girls with affection and pride.  
Those must be Blake's parents. He walks up to them.

"Hello, sir, ma'am," he says, casually, holding out the tray of coffees. "I think I've got your coffees," he says, a bit uncertainly. "Ghira and Kali."  
The woman nods, smiling a little. "That's us. Thank you for bringing it to us. Coffee would be of great help," she says, taking out the two cups holding their names.  
"And who might you be?" the man asks, narrowing his eyes a little.

Clover looks at the floor, fidgeting. He's suddenly aware of the fact he's the most underdressed in the room, just in gym clothes. "I..uh, I am Clover. I'm Qrow's partner," he says, eventually. It's not easy to intimidate him, but the other man looks important enough to make him feel like he should have dressed a bit better for their first interaction.

"Ghira, stop bullying this nice young man," the woman says, blowing off her coffee. The name on the cup reads Kali.

Ghira looks at him with narrowed eyes for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.  
"Sorry about that, young lad!" he says, "but it's much too fun to do that."  
"And everyone else knows how much of a softie he is," Kali says quickly before taking a sip of her coffee, looking sideways.  
"Hey!" Ghira says, looking only a bit indignant.

Clover smiles at the exchange. Blake's parents seem like really nice folks. He can see the resemblances, especially in the women's sass.

He doesn't get to say anything else, though, because his attention is quickly taken by a commotion behind him. Qrow is standing where he left him, with a cup of coffee behind him, Taiyang at his side, with a wide smile on his face. His face is red and he's sputtering. Clover remembers suddenly the plan Taiyang had. In a few steps, he's at Qrow's side.

"What the hell, Taiyang!" Qrow says, annoyance evident.  
"Language," someone says, behind them, but no one pays attention to them.  
"This is Ruby's order, it's much too sweet."  
"Actually," Clover interjects, "it's kinda yours. Taiyang messed up the order and realized it only afterward." Qrow narrows his eyes at Taiyang, who doesn't look at all apologetic for pranking him.

"This is yours," Clover says, holding up the correct cup of coffee. Despite being pranked earlier, Qrow has no hesitation in drinking the coffee. Clover's heart swells a little at the display of trust.

"Thank you," Qrow says, tipping the coffee in his direction before taking another gulp. "You don't know how much this was needed."  
"I can...guess," Clover says, looking sideways at Weiss, who is still talking on the scroll, and Winter who is tapping something furiously on hers. He suddenly realizes that he can't see Qrow's youngest niece anywhere.

"Where is Ruby?" he asks, only to have her head coming out of the kitchen.  
"Clover!" she says with enthusiasm. "Try these!" she pulls up to him with a tray of cookies that look freshly done. Clover smiles. Ruby has only recently started baking cookies again, and while they're not always extraordinary - they're burned most of the time - he supports her openly. He really thinks the kid could use some other physical activities besides hunting.

He takes one cookie from the tray and puts it between his teeth before he can get burned. He gestures towards the coffee and Ruby takes it without another word. Then he takes the cookie out and blows on it a bit before taking a bite. He chews on it a little longer than necessary, for dramatic effect. He swallows. He is aware that he's got the attention of all the three members of family.

"It's good. Not burned and it's actually a good combination of hard on the outside but soft on the inside," he comments. "You've gotten better."

Ruby actually beams up at him before offering cookies to both Taiyang and Qrow. They don't hesitate in taking a cookie, likely because of his praise. Then Ruby disappears, likely to serve cookies to everyone else.  
"You're right," Qrow says, still chewing on it. "It's good."  
"You've got a fast learning niece."  
"That she is."

He can see Taiyang looking up at them, but honestly, he can't be bothered to look away. It's a nice view: his boyfriend just enjoying a cookie and a coffee. He'll never get tired of looking at Qrow, especially when he looks so happy, so content, so...at peace with himself. He deserves at least that and so much more.

"Alright people!" he hears and only then looks away to see Yang and Blake standing up, holding hands and smiling. "Let's go and make this happen. I can't wait to get married to this pretty little lady," Yang says gesturing towards Blake, who is rolling her eyes, but seems just as overjoyed. Clover smiles at them. They all deserve to be happy.

"Wait," Taiyang says, a bit warily. "How are we going to get to Vale?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm...not that satisfied with this. But I wanted to post it. I wanted more Soft and Loving Men out there in the world, because the world could use more tenderness. 
> 
> And also I wanted to push myself to write more. And if I don't post this chapter, I can't write the next chapter, now can I? Also it's possible that this fic might take more chapters than anticipated. Not sure yet, I'm figuring it out as I'm going.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you liked it, you can find me at queerpyrrha on tumblr
> 
> also this was unbeta'ed so if there are mistakes, it'd be much appreciated if you pointed them out. thanks!


End file.
